The fastest growing repository of historical artifacts in the borough. It is comprised of three great collections:
The Greater Astoria Historical Society Collection
Printed matter and images comprised of maps, photographs, books, artifacts, and other material relating to Long Island City-Astoria in particular, and New York City in general.
A Reading Room
The Belcher-Hyde Map Collection
This company was responsible for the maintaining the official maps of New York City.
Atlases and maps from various sources
The Rev. Oliver Chapin Collection
As a pastor for many decades on Roosevelt Island, Rev. Chapin collected material on both
its institutions and subjects relating to the East River.
The collection is strong on material relating to the growth of prisons, hospitals,
poor houses, and asylums, as well as women’s issues, and social reform.
Researchers are asked for a small donation to support the Society’s efforts at
maintaining and cataloguing its rapidly growing collection. The Research Center is
available by appointment only. For more information, and for directions, go
to CONTACT GAHS
Background
Although Queens has a number of excellent historical repositories, writing about the borough was pretty much a nineteenth-century effort.
One man changed that. Vincent Seyfried, a trolley fan and teacher from Garden City, began writing on the borough soon after retirement. Decades later, he not only continues producing a book seemingly every few months, but seems to increase his pace each year.
Vincent wrote extensively about trolleys, is the author of the defining history of the Long Island Railroad, and local histories for Nassau County.
In Queens, Vince has written books on Long Island City-Astoria, Woodhaven, The Rockaways, Flushing, Newtown-Elmhurst, Corona, and Queens Village. He is the author of our most popular books: ‘Queens: The 300th Anniversary’ (with the former Long Island Savings Bank), and with Bill Asadorian, ‘Queens in Early Photographs’, and ‘The Rockaways in Photographs.’
His indexes of newspapers opened up our forgotten past.
The Research Center, named for this remarkable man, is dedicated to maintaining the high standards of Vincent’s selfless research, and the spirit of his vigorous inquiry into history.
